Wes’ Best of 2013

All the big players in the music blogging and magazine biz like to think they are the be-all-end-all for best-of-the-year accolades, but thankfully we have our own voice and our voice doesn’t usually represent the same opinions (or categories) as those echo chambers.

This was an unbelievably tough choice for me because it was an incredible year for full length releases. However, Paul Woolford aka Special Request, slayed them all. Mixmag, DJ Mag, Resident Advisor and the rest championed “Soul Music” as the impetus of the impending jungle revival (god they’re clueless), but the album is deeper and much more complex than that. Yes, there are a ton of proper jungle elements in the LP including serious reese and amen rinse-out tracks, but there’s also a depth of borderline techno and off-beat drumfunk and a smattering of techno inspired tracks. The album preview below is only a small sampling of the overall album, make sure to hit the link above from Houndstooth Recordings for the full album preview.

There wasn’t a single release this year that resonated more with me than Halcyon. Period.

Hybrid Minds feat. Grimm – Halcyon

Best New Label:

Deep Field Audio
We’re lucky enough to get a lot of demos from various labels and while a lot of it is great music, not much tends to stand out. However all four of Deep Field Audio’s releases this year stood out. Buoyed by Matt McGowan and Double Helix on all four tracks, they banged out thunderous neurofunk and they should be very proud. I’m eagerly awaiting what’s in store for 2014 from DFA.